Smoker&#39;s article



June 29, 1937. H, BUFFINGTON 2,085,293

SMOKERS ARTICLE Filed May 27, 1936 a Mm Patent ed June 29, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SMOKEBS ARTICLE Hildegarde M. Bumngton, Arlington, Va.

Application May 27, 1936, Serial No. 82,118

2 Claims. (Cl. 131-52) The present invention relates to improvements in smokers articles, such as cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc., and has as its purpose to provide an improved filter whereby, as in a cigarette, the

tobacco is kept from the smoker's mouth and the smoke itself is conditioned. According to the invention, I provide a filter of viscose sponge such as is at present on the market and manufactured, for example, by the processes disclosed in United States Patents Nos. 1,611,056, 1,909,629, and

The characteristics of the viscose sponge are such as to make it an ideal filter material for use in smokers articles. The sponge is substantially tasteless and odorless and completely sanitary, of itself, and serves effectively to absorb the unpleasant tars formed in the combustion of tobacco. Under the known processes of manufacturing, its texture is controllable, so that its cells may be of the most eflicient size and substantially uniform throughout.

In the accompanying drawing, which shows illustrative embodiments of the invention,

Figure 1 is an axial section through a cigarette provided with the new filter,

Figure 2 is a perspective of the filter plug appearing in Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a view, similar to that of Figure l, of a modified embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, reference numeral 5 designates the paper wrapper of a cigarette and reference numeral 6 the tobacco filler. As here shown, the cigarette has a cork tip 1 within which is disposed a plug 8 of viscose sponge. The plug 35 is cylindrical in form and of such size as to fill the smoke passage cross-sectionally and to engage the inner walls of tubular smoke passage with sumcient friction to be maintained securely in place. The relative length of the plug may be 40 varied as desired.

In Figure 3 reference numeral 9 designates the ordinary paper wrapper of a cigarette and reference numeral ID a tip of regenerated cellulose sheeting, such as is on the market under the 45 trade-mark names Cellophane" or Sylphrap, the tip only slightly lapping the paper wrapper so that its major portion is fully transparent. Reference numeral ll designates a plug of viscose sponge. By giving the sponge a desired color, in

50 manufacture, a pleasing decorative effect is thus obtained and may be enhancedby the use of cellulose sheeting of the same or other color. Since the tip and the sponge are both viscose products, they can be dyed with the same dyes,

55 thereby having the same color.

Viscose sponge, when dry, is sufflciently still so that the plugs may be cut therefrom by means of tubular cutters. However, the plugs may be most economically manufactured by an extruding process such as is disclosed in the last mentioned patent above, the sponge being extruded as rods of the proper diameter and the rods being transversely cut to form plugs of the required length.

A very great advantage in the use of viscose sponge resides in the fact that the sponge may be variously treated in manufacture to produce different results. For example, the sponge can be made of diiferent colors and, to this end, a pigment or dye may be added during manufacture. The pigment may be one which will have a conditioning effect on the smoke, an example of such a pigment being finely divided carbon, such as lamp or carbon black. The carbon particles color the sponge and act as an adsorbent for the smoke constituents traversing the plug.

As another possibility, fire-proofing substances, such as ammonium or phosphoric acid salts, may be incorporated in the sponge during its manufacture.

Preferably, a sponge having very fine pores is used and the plug to be most effective should be of substantial diameter, comparable to that shown.

As used in a cigarette, the viscose sponge plug serves to prevent collapse of the butt and acts resiliently to maintain the cylindricality of the butt. While cork and cellulose sheeting tips have been shown, it will be understood that any preferred tip may be used, and, furthermore, that while the invention has been shown as applied to a cigarette, the viscose sponge filter may be applied to other types of smokers articles by inserting a plug, such as is illustrated, in a smoke passage. Accordingly, I do not limit myself except as in the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a smoker's article having therein a smoke passage of substantial cross-section, of a filter comprising a plug of viscose sponge filling said passage cross-sectionally, said plug being of a length and volume and having pores uniformly throughout of such size as to afford an effective filter for objectionable smoke constituents, the size of the pores also being such as to allow the necessary draft, said plug also possessing permanent resiliency accompanied by such rigidity as to be unaffected by the smoking of the article and to constantly maintain its eoemce smoke constituents, the size of the pores also being such as to allow the necessary draft, said plug also possessing permanent resiliency accompanied by such rigidity as to be unaffected by the smoking of the article and to constantly maintain its cross-sectional filter relation in said tubular butt portion.

EGARDE M. BUFFINGTON. 

